


Simple Man

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural, Supernatural (TV)
Genre: Dean can sing, Gen, I Needed to Write It, I have watched maybe 10 supernatural episodes, Sam Plays Guitar, alcohol tw, and every time its on i think about this fic idea, blood tw, by Impmon, disclaimer:, dont @ me, hypnosis tw, i just didnt want it on my account anymore lol, my mom loves it, so i had to, they're in milwaukee, this fanfic idea has been haunting me, yeah - Freeform, you know jensen ackles' 'simple man' cover?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 15:30:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17583506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Something has been killing and eating people outside of bars in Milwaukee County. The fourth time, the Winchesters get involved. Who is it, what is it, and how can they stop it?





	1. The first 5 minutes

Daniel stormed through the out of the bar, not flinching when the back door slammed against the wall. Trash bag in hand, he crossed the parking lot to toss it into the dumpster.

“Fucking prick.” He hissed under his breath as he pulled the bag back to fling it into the bin. When was he going to quit this dead end job and work somewhere more profitable, with a better, less exploitative boss? 

He froze and the bag hit the ground when the silence was broken. A warm, beautiful melody slid through the air and seemed to coil around his body in enchanting spirals. He could smell it, and it smelled vaguely of cinnamon and warm vanilla. It tasted like melted chocolate and warm honey. He found that he was inhaling it, and it filled his lungs more thoroughly than air and it warmed his whole body, head-to-toe. He was eager to gulp it down. Then, the voice waned.

Daniel panicked as he realized the singer was moving away from him. His body was suddenly wracked with painful spasms, craving the song like ecstasy. 

“Wait!” He pleaded, stumbling in the direction it had moved in. Relief washed over him when he was once again bathed in the glow of the song, and he followed it into the shadowy alley next to the bar.


	2. Bar Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now it actually starts

“Yeesh.” Dean grimaced, surveying what could have been the remains of a human who had swallowed a bomb. Blood and flesh were splattered on the side of the buildings and it puddled on the ground between them. All around Dean were cops taking samples and making guesses. “What happened here?”

“Well, could be a lot of things.” Sam sighed from where he was crouching on the ground. He dipped a popsicle stick in some blood. “Whatever happened, it was pretty violent.”

“No kidding.” Dean agreed. He gave the alley another once-over. Turning away, he spotted a woman standing by a cop car looking nervous. He jogged over to her and pulled out a pencil and notepad from his pockets. “Excuse me, ma’am.”

She startled, and looked up at him. “Hello, officer.” She greeted.

“Do you know anything about this?” He asked her, gesturing at the crime scene with his pencil.

“W-well, um.” The woman stuttered. She looked at the ground. “You’ll think I’m crazy.”

“I won’t.” He promised. 

She drew in a shaky breath. “Well… Well, I was here, last night. In the bar. I came to see some old friends of mine. At about ten last night, the bartender got into a heated argument with the manager. It didn’t get violent, but they were yelling back and forth about payrolls or something. Then, the bartender stormed out with a garbage bag.” She paused for a moment and Dean scribbled furiously to keep up. “I could see outside from the window at my table, and I saw him walking across the parking lot and open the dumpster when he suddenly stopped moving. He just… froze for a minute. Then, he turned and limped towards something like he was in pain, and it looked like he was begging. Then his whole body slumped, and he walked out of site towards the alley way.” She finished. She looked up at Dean with shiny eyes. “I swear, I didn’t know he was going to die. I would have- I could have-”

“Hey.” Dean cut into her rambling. “This is nobody’s fault but the one who killed that man, got it?”

The woman opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut just as fast. She nodded meekly. 

“Good. Thank you, ma’am. This is very helpful.” He told her earnestly, before returning to Sam. “Hey, look what I got.”

Sam took the notebook from him and scanned it. “Damn. You thinking sirens?” 

“Maybe.” Dean shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Officers say that this is the fourth time that this has happened in bars across Milwaukee County.” Sam said, getting to his feet. “There’s gotta be a reason why. First, though, let’s talk to the manager.”

Sam and Dean found him quickly. He was inside the bar washing the countertop. 

“Mr. Hultzer?” Sam asked, getting the man’s attention. He brought out his fake badge, and Dean followed suit. “I’m Detective Kent Barley, and this is my partner.”

“Detective Peter Hopps, sir.” Dean flashed Hultzer a smile, ignoring Sam’s glare.

“We’re investigating the death of Mr. Daniel Shrew. What can you tell us?”

“Eh, I already talked to your colleagues.” Hultzer dismissed with a flippant wave of his hand. 

“Well, that’s swell.” Dean told him, taking a seat and leaning his arms on the countertop. “But we’re asking you to talk to us.”

The man glared at Dean, but visibly relented. He put his rag down.“Daniel was a shit bartender. He was snippy with customers, couldn’t tell a vodka from a tequila without reading the bottle, and broke as many glasses as he filled. All the while, he acted like he was top-shit because he performed every weekend night.” He spat. “That’s the only reason we kept him around.”

“He sang?” Sam asked, also taking a seat. 

“Sang, and played guitar. Sometimes piano if he felt like it. The crowd loved him.”

“Is there anyone who wanted to hurt him?” Sam asked, jotting something down.

“Well, he got into a scuffle or two with passing patrons because he had a tendency to hit on taken lasses and lads.” The man grabbed an empty glass. “Beer?”

Dean lifted a hand. “Uh-”

Sam forced Dean’s hand down. “We can’t drink on duty.”

“Right.” Hultzer set the glass down. “Is that all?”

“That’ll do.” Sam answered, standing up. Dean followed suit. “Thank you for your time, Mr. Hultzer.”

“Whatever.”

“Hopps?” Sam demanded as soon as the doors to the bar shut. “What were you thinking?”

“You started it, Mr. Barley.” Dean shot back. “Besides, the opportunity was too golden to miss.”

“That was a little too on the nose.” Sam scolded.

“Well,” Dean shrugged as they climbed into the Impala. “Names aside, that was interesting.”

“Mm.” Sam hummed. “I want to do some research into those other three bars. We definitely have a creature on our hands.”

“Okay. Call Cas and let him know we’re on our way back.” Dean said, pulling out of the parking lot. 

“Alright.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Any luck?” Dean asked, joining Cas and Sam at the table. They had returned to the motel they were staying in. The room was lit with orange-tinged light bulbs, giving the wooden furniture and flooring a rustic feel. He cracked open his beer bottle and sat down.

“No.” Sam mumbled, reading something on his screen. “The only common thread is that each death took place near a bar, and every corpse was left splattered. The cops think they’re being eaten.”

“Woah, woah.” Dean interrupted. “Eaten?”

“Eaten.” Sam confirmed.

“So, we’re not dealing with sirens, then?” Dean asked, more as a statement than a question.

“Doesn’t look like it.” Sam sighed.

“Stop.” Castiel told Sam. He leaned a little out of his seat and peered closer at Sam’s laptop.

“Huh?”

“Stop scrolling. Look.” Castiel pointed at something on the screen.

“Open mic night”? Sam asked, following where Cas was indicating. “What about it?”

“The last two had open mic nights, as well. Did you not say that Daniel was a performer, too?”

“Shit, Cas.” Sam mused. “That might be it! I’ll see if I can find a performer’s register list. If not, I’ll email them.” 

“Good luck, bud.” Dean took a swig. “I’m gonna run to the store. Cas, you coming?”

“I don’t think we’re in running distance of any stores.” Castiel told him.

“We’re going to drive.” Dean clarified, standing up and pulling his jacket on. “You coming or not?”

“I’ll come.” Castiel decided. 

The trip was uneventful. They talked about the case on the way there, but resisted from discussing it in the store after some old woman gave them a look. Instead, they focused on picking up groceries, and finding the liquor aisle. On the way back, they went through a drive through and got burgers to bring back to the hotel room.

“Hey.” Dean greeted when they walked in.”

“We got food.” Cas told Sam.

“I think I solved the case.” Sam said, ignoring them. He waited for Dean and Castiel to gravitate to his side. “I think we’re dealing with a samodiva.”

“A what?” Dean asked.

“A slavic creature that typically takes the form of young women. When angry, they can turn into large birds that can throw fire. They have seductive singing voices. What they do with their prey varies on legend. Some say they make men chase them till they die from exhaustion, some say they just play with them, some say they lure them close and then eat them.” Sam shrugged.

“Honestly? Sounds like our creep.” Dean told him. “Now what?”

Sam made a noise that indicated that he wasn’t sure.

“If I can make a suggestion, the samodiva is targeting singers, likely out of jealousy. To be the only voice, or the only loved singer, in town. What we should do is find someone who can sing, and use them as bait.” Cas said.

“Genius. Where do we get someone who can sing?” Dean asked.

Sam coughed loudly and obnoxiously.

“Sam?” Castiel asked. “Can you sing?”

Sam laughed. “God, no. But, Dean can.”

“No,” Dean protested, “I can’t.”

“I have heard Dean sing along to the radio.” Cas retorted. “He isn’t very good.”

“Because he’s singing out of key on purpose.” Sam said. He gave Dean a pointed look. “People are dying, Dean. No one else here can sing, and we can’t endanger a civilian like that. It has to be you.”

“It won’t work.” Dean argued, raising his voice. “I can’t sing!’

“Sam,” Cas cut in. “If Dean is experiencing stage fright, we can’t make him-”

“I’m not!” Dean insisted, crossing his arms.

“If you’re not, then you’ll do it then, right?” Cas prodded, leaning in a bit.

Dean was very quiet for a moment. “I guess… we have no choice.”

“There’s the man.” Sam praised, standing up and clapping him on his shoulder. “I’ll call and book a reservation at that tavern down the street. With the chain of deaths recently, I’m sure one of their bands would have cancelled. Just to be safe, I’ll tell them we’re FBI and are trying to weed the killer out.” He said as he walked out of the room.

“Good luck, Sam.” Castiel told him. 

Dean sat down and cracked a beer open. 

“Are you alright?”

“‘M fine.” Dean took a swig.

“If you’re nervous we can-”

“I’m fine!” Dean snapped. Then, he sighed. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Cas said. He left the room after Sam, leaving Dean alone with his thoughts.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is so important that you have listened to this song before reading the chapter.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SniMv8EGiY
> 
> I didn't list allll the lyrics because this is A03, not metro lyrics, but the the general jist of it is there!

Dean, Cas, and Sam stood by the stage. The bar wasn’t nearly as full as they had expected, and they were beginning to worry that their plan wouldn’t work. It was far too late now, because the previous band had just finished their last song, and Dean was being invited up on stage. 

He and Sam climbed the stairs together. Dean took one stool next to a microphone, and Sam took the other, adjusting the mic to be near his guitar.

“Hey, y’all.” Dean greeted through the microphone, silently cursing how strained he sounded. “I’m Peter, and this is my brother, Kent. We’ve never performed together before,” Or ever, “So go easy on us! Hope you like it.” 

Sam gave Dean an easy smile, and strummed the intro to “Simple Man” and Dean took a steadying breath.

“Mama told me,” He sang a little too quietly, a lot too awkwardly, “When I was young.  
“Come sit beside me, my only son.” He made brief eye-contact with Sam and Sam glared playfully.  
“And listen closely, to what I say,  
“If you do this, it’ll help you some sunny day,  
Oh, yeah.” 

He got scattered cheers at that part, and they helped him squash some of his nerves. He took a few more deep breaths during the instrumental, and his eyes sought out Cas in the crowd. The angel waved at him, and Dean grinned and rolled his eyes. With new confidence, he continued. 

“Oh, take your time. Don’t live too fast,  
“Troubles will come, and they will pass.  
“You’ll find a woman,” More cheers and Dean felt a smile tug at his lips.  
“And, you’ll find love.  
“Don’t forget, son,   
there’s someone up above.”

“And be a simple kind of man.  
“Be something you love and understand!  
“Baby, be a simple kind of man.  
“Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.”

The crowd got more excitable whenever he hit a note especially well. Dean forgot all of his hesitation, and got lost in the theatrics of it. The time to sing the last verse came up so quick that Dean was almost startled.

“And be a simple kind of man.  
“Be something you love and understand.  
“Yeah, baby, be a simple kind of man.  
“Oh, won’t you do this for me, son, if you can.”

Sam played the last few verses, and the crowd erupted. Dean gave the crowd a smirk and a wave, and jogged off stage with Sam on his heels.

“I had no idea you boys could perform.” Castiel told them at the base of the stairs. “I have to admit, I was surprised.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Sam smiled, “But the shows not over yet.”

Sam and Cas left Dean alone, presumably to get into position in the back lot. Dean moved to do the same, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned, and there stood a tall, beautiful woman.

“Hey, there.” She said in a husky voice. “I just wanted to congratulate you on your performance.”

“Oh! Uh, thank you.” Dean smiled. 

“I’d like to show you how well I can perform, too.” She told him, low. 

“When are you on?” Dean asked.

“Right now. In front of the bar.” She smirked at him. She turned to walk away, but paused to look over her shoulder. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

Dean grinned, and moved to follow her. Then, he remembered what he was there to do. Still… the front lot is on the way to the back lot. He could be quick. Besides, he wanted to investigate that woman a little bit. Something about her was… mysterious.

He cut through the crowd after her, and left the building. He spotted her turning down the alleyway, and beckoned for him to follow. A red flag went off in Dean’s head. What woman wants a strange man to follow her into a dark alley? He didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but turned to go back inside. 

Just then, he heard the most beautiful song. He felt warm shivers run up and down his body as the smell of firewood and jasmine invaded his nose. Did the air taste like warm apple pie or was he losing his mind? He took a deep breath, and relished the way it flooded his body. When he heard it moving away, he was quick to follow. Somehow, he just knew that if he was without the voice he would die. 

He stumbled into the alleyway, and there She was. The dame from the bar, with beautiful blue lights coming from her eyes. She was moving backwards slowly, beckoning Dean to come closer. He was eager to obey.

He was vaguely aware of the two figures approaching his queen from behind, but they didn't matter. Nobody mattered but Her. Dean reached out a hand to touch Her. If he could just touch Her. Suddenly, there was a feral yell that cut through Her song, and a bang that ended all other sound. The pain was immediate as he watched Her crumple to the pavement. He screamed something, he wasn’t sure what he said, all that was real was the pain, and the cold, and Her blood on the ground. Hot tears flowed down his cheeks. 

“Dean!” Someone said to him. He looked up to see a man with long hair grabbing his shoulders. “Dean, can you hear me?” 

Dean couldn’t feel anything but rage.

“Sam.” Another voice said, urgently. “Sam, get back.”

He lunged at them, but a sudden explosive pain in his skull ended that movement. Everything else black.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Very short, I know.

Dean blinked his eyes open. It was very dark in the room, but the sun leaking from behind the curtains was enough to worsen his headache.

“What the fuck?” He groaned, forcing himself into a sitting position. He recognized the room as the hotel they were staying in in Milwaukee County.

Sam was sitting at the dining room table, and he looked over when he heard Dean moving. “Welcome back.”

“Whad’appened?” Dean mumbled. 

Sam grabbed a bottle of whiskey off the table and tossed it to Dean, who caught it two-handed. “You got hypnotized by the samodiva, as planned. Cas and I didn’t hear her singing right away because of our earplugs, so we didn’t move until we saw you.” Sam told him. “We don’t know if we let you stay hypnotized for too long, or if it wouldn’t have mattered if we broke you out right away, but you didn’t wake up when she died. It was like you were in pain, and didn’t recognize us.”

“Damn. Sounds rough.” Dean grunted, struggling to open his bottle with his sleep-tired hands. “So, what? You knocked me out and reset my brain?”

“I guess.” Sam shrugged.

“Where’s Cas?” Dean asked, suddenly realizing he wasn’t around.

“He left to buy pain meds.” Sam said. “He doesn’t approve of you self-medicating.”

“Mm.” Dean commented. 

“Do you remember anything?” Sam asked.

Dean thought. “I...remember when she started singing. I remember what it smelt like and tasted like, I remember needing to get closer to her, and then nothing at all. Why?” He finally popped the cap off his bottle, and he grinned in victory.

“You were really fucked up, man. Like, your whole body looked like it was hurting you, and you were grieving her when she died. You tried to attack us to avenge her.”

“Damn.” Dean hummed. “Glad I don’t remember that. 

The door swung open. “I’m back.” Castiel said. His eyes landed on Dean. “Oh, you’re awake and already drinking, I see.”

Dean gestured at Cas with his bottle. “Cheers.”

Cas scowled. “You’ll have to wait for that to be out of your system before you can take the medication.”

“I’ll be fine.” Dean dismissed. “Don’t need the meds.”

Cas rolled his eyes, and moved to a window. He jerked the curtains open, flooding the room with sunlight and sending deep throbs of pain through Dean’s skull.

“Fuck! Close that!” Dean snapped. 

Cas closed the curtains and tossed the pill bottle on Dean’s bed. “Take your fucking medication.”

END.

**Author's Note:**

> :PPPPP I tried
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
